Something lurked in the dark maze of thoughts and dreams, hungry and eager to feed. Talons long, fingers thin. It stalked with clicks and chirps, hunger gnawing in its starving maw. Eyes of yore and a thousand silent screaming mouths it called out into the void.

Will awoke abruptly, the half-remembered dream lingering on the edge of his consciousness. Before he could dwell on it, he drifted back to sleep.

▼.▼.▼

Will yawned as he jogged along with the rest of the cadets in their class. The bitter cold seeped into them with every step, and steam fogged out with every breath. The morning PT had them running laps around the military compound, and Will was barely keeping his tired eyes open.

"Didn't sleep well?" asked Becca.

"No," Will grumbled.

"Fine way to start a day," Remy huffed, grabbing lungfuls of air. "Stupid morning run."

"All we need now is some more Ryder abuse to complete the day," Will yawned again.

"That's right," Remy complained.

Ryder had been running their ass ragged for the past week. The sadist devised numerous creative methods of torment every day, and the cadets were wondering what ingenious method of torture he would come up with next.

Despite their collective dread for their lessons, it wasn't without result. Nearly everyone could do enhancement on a small level, and they moved a lot more gracefully in their mechs than when they had started out.

"Looks like the two of you could use some good news," Becca smiled as she jogged.

"What is it?" asked Will.

"Your cousin is not the instructor today," said Becca. "I looked up the schedule; it's the head instructor, Tara Lawson."

"Well, I'll be damned!" Will laughed.

"Finally," Remy exclaimed. "We got rid of that demon."

The three of them grinned as they kept pace with the rest of the class, though this time with a lot more enthusiasm.

Half an hour later, they trooped into their daily training field. The warm warehouse was a welcomed reprieve from the cold weather.

Will rubbed his numb hands together as he joined the rest of the class heading for the mech racks. Five minutes later, they were armored up and standing in formation in front of the head instructor, Tara Lawson.

She was clad in a white exo suit, and her helmet was hooked to her waist just like Damian's. Lawson scanned the crowd with her hands clasped behind her back. Her bright amber eyes seemed to take in everything as the cadets settled down.

"Good morning, cadets. You seem energetic. That's good; you are going to need it for this session," said Instructor Lawson. She tapped the datapad in her hand. "I have a report here showing your progress throughout the week, and it looks good. Most of you have reached a rudimentary level in enhancement, which means you are ready for the next stage."

A message popped up in everyone's HUD.

'Field control restriction removed. Strength amplification capped to 10%.'

Will felt the weight on his shoulders lessen as power assist came back online. An excited murmur passed amongst the trainees, and there were audible cries of relief as cadets moved more freely in their armor. The entire class's mood was lifted.

"Your lesson today would be on controlling your mechs," Lawson cut through the chatter. "But before we begin, let's go through some theory. How does mech control work?"

She pointed at Patricia Wagner.

The snobbish Towerite looked surprised but answered quickly enough. "The mech reads changes in our bio fields and moves accordingly."

"Good," Instructor Lawson nodded. She then pointed at Victor. "Since it's reading our personal field, how does our personal field change?"

"Um, by channeling?" said Victor, startled by the question.

Lawson nodded. "That brings us to the second path out of three in psionics: field control."

She produced a small pouch and tipped out its contents. Metal dust fell into the palm of her hand and then began swirling around her fist. The grey whirl shifted to the rest of her body, and it circled around her in a twisting vortex.

"Now you are able to visualize my personal field." She flared her field, and the dust moved along with it. "Watch what happens when I strengthen my arm."

The metal dust got sucked away from the rest of her body and concentrated around her right arm.

"This is basic enhancement," said Lawson. "Any object that has psions in it will be strengthened. The more it has, the more it is strengthened. So, in short, the first path in psionics is the practice of increasing the body's capacity for psions, and the second path is the ability to move it."

"You have been practicing both for the past few days. Lifting heavy weights while channeling strengthens your internal reserves. Also, the movement of psions within the body gave you a rudimentary understanding of how to control your field.

Today we are going to take it a step further. Observe." She took a stance and threw a punch. She did it slowly so that they could see her field move. It rippled from her legs and rotated about her hips and then through her chest. It flowed into her right arm, and bits of metallic dust exploded out when it reached her fist.

"A simple punch," she said. "Now let's see that again." She performed the same action, but this time only a small ripple passed through her field. It traveled the same path, but this time dust merely quivered when it reached her fist.

"What did I do?" she asked the class.

"You reduced the power," said Becca.

"Exactly," Lawson nodded. "Now, how about this?" She stood straight but took no stance. Her arms rested on her sides, but a faint ripple started from her legs and traveled up her body, ending in her fist. All the while, she didn't move an inch.

Will's eyes widened.

"Explain what just happened," she asked, and Will blurted out, "You just threw a punch with your mech."

Lawson gave a grim smile. "Yes, this is the pinnacle of control you can achieve when using a mech. Almost zero energy expenditure and movement at the speed of thought. It is a difficult state to achieve and all the more difficult in the heat of battle."

She flared her field and gathered all of the metal dust into the palm of her hand and dropped it back into the pouch.

"This is what you are about to practice today," said Lawson. "Try and separate yourself from normal bodily movements and focus on your field. Each machine is different, and you might have to try something different to meld with it. Try and up your sync rate as much as you can."

She looked around the room. "Separate yourselves into groups of four and make rounds around the field. Be economical with your energy expenditure. I will know if you don't."

Will released a breath. "Just a regular lesson for once."

"This doesn't look too hard, huh? Whoa, holy!" Remy exclaimed, struggling to rein in his mech.

"Careful," Becca chastised. "Who's going to be our fourth?"

Will scanned the area, and spotted Victor chatting with another cadet. A wave from Will, and Victor eagerly joined their group.

"Alright, let's kick off," Victor declared, bouncing on the mech's joints.

Will nodded and the four of them headed toward the warehouse's edge. Remy was wrong. it was nowhere as easy as it seemed. With each fluctuation in his field, Will lurched and abruptly halted. The mech's sensitivity was insane, picking up every tiny perturbation in his field. He could have dialed down the sensitivity, and ruin the sync rate, but Will was adamant to get this right. The mech bucked and reared, like it was trying to throw him off and he held on for life.

"This is wild" Remy whooped, slipping with each step. He couldn't get the power balance right and his mech propelled him forward in a random direction every step, forcing him to backtrack every few seconds.

Becca wasn't faring much better either. She windmilled her arms, sprinting forward in an attempt to find her balance.

"Wait! Becca, you're gonna run into me!" Remy exclaimed. "Stop!"

"I'm trying!" Becca panicked, and just as they were about to crash, Remy attempted to sidestep out of the way. However, he applied too much power and was launched headfirst into the wall.

"Ow!" he groaned.

"Oh no! Are you okay?" Becca inquired, concern etched on her face.

"Yeah," Remy replied, wobbling to his feet.

"Just take it slow, guys. No rush." Will held his breath, meticulously controlling his field. With deliberate, measured steps, he avoided the erratic swaying.

Remy and Becca followed his lead and soon they were slowly making their way around the field.

Sweat dripped down Will's forehead, and he heard Remy curse. "Damn, this takes so much concentration. If I slip up for one second..."

"No worries, mate. It's always like that at the start," Victor chimed in, and Will noticed the boy walking smoothly. He had no stutter in his steps and his footsteps were nice and even. He had no trouble at all.

"Damn, dude," said Remy. "When did you get so good?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Victor's laughter dripped with smugness. "This is just called talent... nah, I've just had lots of practice with mechs before."

"For real?" Will exclaimed.

"Yeah, I used to sneak into my parents' machines all the time," Victor confessed.

"Wait... if you're that good, why were you so mum yesterday?" Remy queried. "Not just yesterday, all week. I didn't see any of the skill you're displaying now."

"Yeah... Listen," Victor began slowly. "I've had my share of instructors, and Ryder, I know the type. If I tried to show off, he'd find a way to hammer me down."

"Oh, yes, he would," Will added, and Remy chuckled.

"Since you're so good, maybe you can give us some tips," Becca suggested.

"Oh, it's pretty simple," Victor claimed. "The first step is to be awesome. You know, like me."

"Uh-huh," Remy snorted. "I think I know what the next steps are."

"Yes, the next one is being as good-looking as me," Victor shrugged. "I know it's impossible for you lot, but you could try."

"Right," said Remy. "I think we need to punch his round face into a more spherical shape. It'll make him more handsome."

"Hey, there's no need for that, guys. Jealousy is a terrible thing."

Both Remy and Will punched Victor, who feigned being hurt. "Rebecca, save me!"

"I will," said Becca. "After I punch you."

Their banter was interrupted by a cough.

"Having fun, cadets?" Tara Lawson kept stride with their group, her amber eyes fixed on Victor.

"No, ma'am," Victor quickly responded.

"Any reason that you were sandbagging all this time, cadet?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No reason, ma'am. I'm performing to the best of my abilities," Victor smartly denied.

"And I'm sure you will continue to do so," Lawson said dryly. "In the meantime." She tapped her slate, and Victor visibly slouched. "I have increased the weight. Work on your channels. Let's not let your training time go to waste."

She nodded to the rest of the group. "As you were, cadets."

The four watched her walk off to the next group of cadets. Will turned to Victor. "What did she do?"

Victor groaned. "She has me doing weighted training again."

"Haha, serves you right!" Remy chortled.

"What goes around comes around, my friend," said Victor. "My misery will be yours soon enough."

"No shot," said Remy.

Victor pointed at him dramatically and whispered, "Misery!"

Becca and Will laughed. A door slammed shut from up ahead, and the trio looked over. Damien strode in with a sly smile on his face.

Silence enveloped the group as they watched Damian making a beeline for Instructor Lawson.

"Are the two of you going to kick his ass, or should I?" Becca inquired.

"Hey... it could be a coincidence," Victor offered lamely.

Remy and Will exchanged glances, then took Victor's mech by the shoulders. "Guys, guys. He's just here to pass on a message."

They watched as Ryder approached Lawson, whispering something in her ear. She frowned, checked her datapad, and after a while, nodded. Turning her attention back to the trainees, she commanded, "Attention, cadets! Assemble on me, double time!"

The cadets shared confused glances and gathered in front of her. Will and the rest made their way there too, taking formation at the back of the class. Will noticed Damian's eyes snap to him, and goosebumps prickled on the back of his neck.

"I am needed elsewhere. Take note of what you've learned today. We'll continue where we left off in the next session," Lawson announced, checking her slate. "You have one hour of drills supervised by Instructor Ryder. Stay focused, stay disciplined. Lawson, out."

Will and Remy stared open-mouthed as they watched the tall woman leave with quick, even strides.

Victor nervously chuckled between them. "Hehe, oops."

Will's eyebrows twitched, and he joined Remy in giving Victor a beatdown.

"Ow! Ow! I wouldn't have said it if I knew this was coming."

"Good morning, cadets," boomed Damian. Remy and Will stopped their pummeling and glanced up at Damian.

"Had a pleasant morning so far?" Damian asked pleasantly. "Good. That's good! Let's try something different today, shall we?

Audible gulps emanated from around him, and Will spotted a few trainees taking half a step back.

"Your goal today is..." Damian announced dramatically and pointed at the exit. "to get out of that door."

The class looked bewildered. Someone from the front yelled, "That's it?"

"Yes," said Damian. There was a click and a sharp metallic ting as a release pin fell on the floor.

Damian smiled at them. "You just have to dodge these."

He tossed something round and grey into the air. The class watched the fist-sized projectile arc through the air, and Will's eyes widened when he recognized what it was.

"Grenade!"